Never Again
by Akalina Kellinor
Summary: Ikuto is a member of a mercenary group known as the blood dragons and his latest mission is to kidnap Amu. All he's ever known is hatred and pain, so what happens when Amu starts to show him some compassion?
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so here it is, the first chapter based off of my one-shot. I hope you guys like it.**

**Nope, I don't own Shugo Chara**

Chapter One

2 Different Worlds

"Which dress would you like for tonight miss?"

Amu turned in her chair and looked over her shoulder at the different dresses, both were gorgeous silk dresses, complete with plenty of lace and fluff, one was a soft pink, and the other apple green.

She debated for some time before at last giving up, "They're both excellent choices Miki, I'm not sure which one I should wear, what do you think?"

"Well, I'd go with the pink one, it matches your hair very well, and goes well with your skin tone," the blue haired maid replied.

Amu smiled, "Alright, the pink one it is, thank you Miki!"

"You're welcome miss."

With that Amu retreated to her walk in closet to change, after shutting the behind her she slipped out of her clothes and started to put the dress on.

"Oh, and miss," Miki's voice broke through the door.

Amu paused, one foot in the dress the other out, "Yes?"

"I'm supposed to remind you that tonight you're having dinner with another suitor."

Amu made a face and slipped the rest of the dress on, "Another one?" She sighed, how many more men would she have to put up with before her parents finally realized the truth? She didn't want to marry someone for money, she wanted to marry for love. She didn't care if she married, a baker, or a butcher, or whoever, so long as she loved them. The truth was, she was tired of this life, of all the dresses and pampering, being waited on hand and foot, and chased around by all the wealthy gentlemen in the country. Her life, it was stifling her, it was suffocating, always having to be perfect, smile, nod, shake hands, pretend like you care about what they're saying. And yet, despite all that, there was nothing she could do about it, no matter how much she wanted to, she could never bring herself to rebel against the predetermined roll she had been placed in. The only people she could be herself around were her friends Miki, Suu, and Ran. Around everyone else she merely did and said whatever she knew they wanted to hear. But she always yearned for so much more.

"Can you help with the laces?" she asked Miki as she emerged from the dressing room.

Miki nodded, "Of course."

Amu turned around so her back was facing Miki, and stood quietly as her maid interweaved the white laces together.

"Do you know who it is?" Amu asked suddenly

"I heard, it's that Tadase Hotori,"

_Tadase Hotori_ the name sounded familiar. No doubt he was well known around the city. She shook her head, she didn't care who he was, she already knew, that he could never make her happy.

The blue haired youth sauntered down the hallway, his head lowered, bent towards the ground. He started to round the corner when he felt the presence of another body, coming towards his. Before the two could collide years of training and and catlike reflexes kicked in. In less than a second Ikuto twisted his body away from the other and jumped back, the other man did likewise, leaving the two several feet apart. Ikuto paused, and looked upon the face of the man and immediately stiffened.

"Sir," he bowed his head.

The brown haired man grinned sinisterly and moved towards Ikuto. "If I recall correctly, you are supposed to be on a mission right now."

Ikuto nodded, "Yes, I just completed it, they are down in the holding cells now."

"Any problems?" the man asked out of sheer habit. He knew there wouldn't be. Ikuto was his best student, and had never once failed him in any way over the last eight years, he had far too strong of a hold over the child for it to be any other way.

"No sir."

"Good, I have another one for you," he declared placing his hand firmly on Ikuto's back and leading him further down the hallway.

Ikuto's eyes widened ever so slightly, barely detectable, "So soon?" he asked.

"yes, it's an extremely important one, that I can only entrust to you, as such, I'm sure you know the consequences if you fail"

Ikuto merely nodded, the scars on his back flaring up involuntarily with a dull ache. He knew very well, just what failure meant, even if it had been eight years ago. "Who is the target?" he asked.

"Hinarmori Amu."

"Miss hinamori, you're guest is here."

"Alright, I'll be right down!" Amu replied quickly. Once the maid was gone she turned back to the mirror. She studied her reflection, she was beautiful and she knew it, but even so, she sighed and looked away, dissatisfied. Try as she might she couldn't shake the feeling of dread that washed over her. She was so tired of all these suitors. Oh well. She shook her head, forced a smile and emerged from her bedroom. Her black heels clicked against the stone flooring as she moved gracefully down the hallway, her dress swishing as she went. After traversing several hallways she finally made her way to the grand staircase, at the bottom of which she knew this Tadase Hotori would be waiting. She paused a moment before turning the corner and once again readied herself reapplying the ever so fake smile. _ You can do this! Go go Amu-chan!_ She smiled genuinely as she heard Ran's voice inside her head. With the memory in mind she appeared and made her way carefully down the staircase. As expected there he was, patiently waiting.

Her eyes met his, about halfway down the stairs, and she saw that he was indeed handsome. He had soft blonde hair and ruby eyes, and there was something about the way he stood that made Amu wonder if maybe he was a prince.

In a few seconds she reached the bottom of the stairs and he moved forward, taking her hand in his Tadase bowed, kissing her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Hinamori-san," he declared with a smile, and Amu couldn't help but blush.

"Th-thank you." She stuttered. She hated to admit, but there was something about his princely character that she was attracted to. He seemed very nice, and not a stuck-up snob like the rest of the men she had met.

"You look even prettier than I imagined," he told her "Tell me about yourself, what is your dream?"

Amu's eyes widened, out of all the prepared statements she had scripted for herself, none of them involved anything about her hopes and dreams. She had never expected someone to ask her that. "Um well..uh…world peace?" she answered hesitantly.

Tadase smiled, and didn't press her any further. She breathed a sigh of relief, "And what about your dreams?" she asked politely.

"I was hoping you'd ask," he said with a glint in his eyes. All of a sudden this shy princely boy came alive with a dark aura and Amu could swear she was seeing flames in the distant background.

"My dream is be King of the world! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Amu sweat-dropped, and all thoughts of liking the suiter fled. "Ahem…yes, well, I'm sure the food is ready by now, we should head to the dining room."

Suddenly the flames and the dark aura disappeared. "ahem, yes, that would be delightful," Tadase declared taking Amu's arm in his.

Amu held back the urge to shake her head. It was going to be a looooong night.

**Well yep, that's the first chapter. Sorry it's not very exciting/good, I promise the next will definitely be better.**

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Encounter

Okidoke, here it is Chapter 2, hope you all like it! Its definitely better then the last chapter, at least in my opinion

ENJOY!

Chapter 2

First Encounter

Amu collapsed back into her queen-sized bed with an exasperated sigh. Dinner with Tadase had been one of the most exhausting she had experienced in a long time. He was handsome no doubt, and had plenty of charm, but anytime she found herself starting to fall for that side of him, his crazy, take over the world side came out and she was immediately turned off. She rubbed her forehead, a headache coming back just at the thought of it. She frowned and rolled over clutching her pillow to her stomach.

Just how many more suitors would she have to put up with? She didn't know how much longer she could take it. But once again she knew there was nothing she could do, her parents wanted her to marry well, and before the end of the year, which meant, that she would indeed marry well by the end of the year. Never once had she gone against her parent's wishes, and this time it wouldn't be any different, she would do whatever they wanted, no matter how painful. She rolled over again as a tear escaped her eye, what she wouldn't give for the freedom to be herself, to do whatever she wanted. If only she had the courage to be reborn, into a better more honest self. Someone like Ran, or Miki, or even Suu. With that thought in mind she fell into a restless sleep.

It was the dead of night and Ikuto was perched upon the battlements overlooking the city. He was surveying the land before entering the city. He stopped and pulled the map from his pocket studying it for a moment, then he looked back at the city. Finally his eyes rested on a large white house near the heart of the city. His eyes narrowed locking onto the building and searing its location into his memory.

Suddenly he heard footsteps approaching and his ear twitched. The night guards were making their rounds. He dropped down low, and slid his body over the side of the wall gripping tightly onto the tiny crevices between the stones. He waited until the guards passed and were out of earshot before carefully continuing his way down the wall. He moved with a sort of stealth and grace that was beautiful to watch. Slowly making his way down the wall, inch by inch finding miniscule openings no one ever thought existed. Then, about fifteen feet from the ground he pulled free from the wall, arching backwards he pushed off with his feet and back flipped landing without a single sound. He smirked and made his way softly into the city, silent as a cat.

"Miss Hinamori, you're parents would like to have a word with you," Miki announced.

Amu raised an eyebrow in curiosity, wondering what on earth her parents could want to talk to her about. "Alright, please tell them I'll be right there, thank you Miki."

"You're welcome," Miki smiled brightly then bowed, exiting the room.

Amu took a moment and smoothed the edges of her dress nervously, it wasn't often that she was requested to formally talk with her parents so she knew whatever it was it had to be important. Trying to ease the nervous butterflies in her stomach she made her way to her parents sitting room. She raised a fist and gently knocked on the door and waited for a response. A second later the door was opened by a maid who curtseyed, Amu nodded in recognition then moved towards her parents.

"You wanted to speak with me?" she asked.

"Yes, have a seat dear," her mother Midori declared gesturing towards a red plush chair in the center of the room.

Amu sat quietly and waited for them to continue.

"Amu, darling, you're father and I have been talking for a while, and it's become quite clear that you have no intention of choosing a suitor for yourself."

Amu's eyes widened and hope surged within her. Could it be? That her parents were finally going to stop with the constant suitors?

"And as such," her mother continued, "We have decided to choose a suitor for you."

_WHAT?!_ Amu thought to herself _How could they?!_ But outwardly she remained calm and non-caring.

"This way I can guarantee my little sparrow will be happy!" her father cried joyously, "You know how hard it is to part with my baby! But It'll go a lot easier if I can choose the man myself, then I can be sure it's the best choice!"

Amu couldn't believe this was happening, "And who have you chosen?" she asked quietly.

Her mother smiled, "The young gentleman who was here last night, Mr. Tadase, he was so wonderfully pleasant and nice, I'm sure the two of you will get along quite nicely!"

Amu's jaw nearly fell off, there was no way she could stand for this, she couldn't envision the rest of her life with that man. It would be unbearable. "But-But-"

"But what darling?" her mother asked smiling sweetly.

Amu stared at that sweet smile and knew that if she objected she would upset her mother and that smile. Her gaze shifted towards her father and once again she knew that any objection would break his heart, they were only trying to do what was best for her, they were just trying to make her happy, the least she could do was return the favor and make sure they were happy as well. She sighed, knowing she had been defeated once again. "Ah-um…nothing, that's great! Really! I can't wait!"

She watched as the smiles on her parents faces continued to glow. "Is it, okay if I go visit the market today?" she asked.

They nodded and agreed.

And just like that Amu was gone. She had shed her fine silk and satin gowns and traded them in for a plan cotton blue dress and a black coat and was now traversing the busy streets. Here amidst the hectic hustle and bustle of everyday life she felt more at home than in her own house, it was a small taste of freedom and she loved it. She needed it after the news of her betrothal to Tadase. She frowned once more thinking about it, and forced it out of her mind, determined to have a good time. She explored the city walking around and visiting every stall and looking at each of the wares with wonder and excitement. She stopped at a fruit stall when suddenly a barrel of oranges tipped over right in front of her. Her eyes widened as her heel found a stray orange and she felt herself falling backwards. She closed her eyes and prepared to fall and hit the ground rather painfully, but it never happened. A strong arm wrapped around her waist and held her, suspended in the air. She looked up and her eyes met with a pair of gorgeous midnight blue eyes. However no matter how beautiful those eyes were, she couldn't help but be struck by what was in them, in those eyes she saw unimaginable sadness and agonizing loneliness. Suddenly he pulled her up and spun her to his side pressing her body against his with his other hand. He held her there and she felt her body seep into his, in a wonderful and exciting way, she had never been this close to anyone else before, her face started to turn red.

"You should be more careful Miss," he told her slowly releasing her.

She stumbled back still dazed from his touch.

"Uh, y-y-yes, th-thank you!" she bowed.

She raised her eyes to his and saw him smirking. "You know if you really wanted to thank me, you could give me a kiss," he told her leaning towards her and whispering the last part in her ear.

Amu's eyes widened and her face turned even redder, as she shoved him away from her, "No way! I don't even know you!" she cried.

People in market started to stop and stare at her sudden outcry and she coughed nervously.

The man just continued smirking as he turned and started to walk away "Don't worry, you will soon enough, _Amu _"

Amu shuddered at the way he said her name, wait a minute, how could he know her name? She had never met him before "HEY!" she called after him, but it was too late, he was already gone.

After that she decided it was finally time to head home and face reality. She returned home and ate dinner with her parents, listening politely as they discussed details of the wedding. Her heart ached at the thought of marriage but she never let it show, she just kept smiling and talking during the entirety of dinner. After dinner was over she hurriedly retired. As she went to bed she had a weird feeling that something was going to happen, and her mind drifted to the strange blue-haired man in the market.

**That's it for now!**

**Please review and let me know what you thought!**

***I don't own shugo chara**


	3. The Kidnapping

**Alright, here it is, the new chapter! Sorry, I didn't get it up during the weekend, but I was at a retreat the whole time. Also, I didn't really go through and edit this, so sorry for any spelling or grammar errors. Anyway please review and tell me what you think! Thanks Enjoy**

***I don't own shugo chara**

Chapter 3

The kidnapping

Ikuto paced back and forth with anticipation. He wanted to get this job over with and get back to the camp, then hopefully he would have a chance to get some sleep. His mind went back to earlier that day when, thanks to an unbelievable stroke of luck, he had ran into his target. He had recognized her immediately from the description he had been given, after-all how many teenage girls were there in the world with pink hair and topaz eyes? Not many. It was then that on a mere whim he had decided to approach his prey and play with them a bit. He had always enjoyed playing with them and he had been sure this time would be the same. Thinking back on it now, he realized it wasn't the same, it was better. He smirked to himself, her reaction had been priceless, so amusing and cute- wait a minute cute? He shook his head and immediately banished the thought. There was no way he could find anything cute, and especially not her. He knew what his mission was and what would ultimately happen to her at the end, attachment was not something he could afford. It normally wasn't a problem for him, he had always been good at building walls between him and others, he'd had to. He sighed and looked towards the moon and decided it was late enough that he may as well set out. He emerged from his alleyway and began stalking towards her house.

Amu tossed and turned erratically in her sleep, a frown firmly fixed on her face. Visions of those blue pain-filled eyes flashing through her mind and sending chills throughout her body. She was in horrible danger, but no matter how hard she tried to wake up she couldn't.

Outside her window the rain poured down in torrents. Lightning flashed and a boom of thunder followed, a sound so intense that it shook her bedroom.

Immediately Amu bolted upright in bed, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. She glanced outside and thanked the heavens for finally awaking her and sparing her from the terrible nightmare. She breathed in slowly and deeply trying to calm her still jittery nerves. She peered into the darkness of her room, barely seeing a dim outline of her dresser and other various objects in the room. She took another breathe, her heart rate started to settle. She leaned back down her head resting on her pillow. She closed her eyes.

_CLINK_

Her eyes snapped open. _What was that?!_ Her eyes traveled towards the window and she cursed the darkness for not allowing her to see properly. Once again the heavens seemed to sympathize with her and sent another flash of lightning, illuminating the window, Amu's eyes widened, and the darkness resumed, but before it did, she saw that her window was now open. Panic set in and her heart-rate skyrocketed once more, she gripped the sheets tight and scanned the room.

Suddenly, she sensed movement to her left. She jerked her head to the side catching a glimpse of some dark figure. She was now convinced that someone was in her room. Fear seized at her, paralyzing and captivating her logic. _What do I do! What do I do??!!!!!!! _ She didn't know. She was in no way strong enough skilled enough to fight someone off. _CALL A GUARD YOU IDIOT!!! _She opened her mouth to scream, but she was too late. Instantly a hand smothered her face pulling her back against something hard. A knife slid itself under her chin. She screamed then, out of sheer terror, but thanks to the hand it only came out as a muffled mob of sound. Immediately she started to resist, thrashing and twisting and pulling. She slammed her head back against the solid object behind her, but none of it did any good, it only served to irritate her captor.

In a blink of an eye she was pressed back onto the bed and pinned there. He held her hands above her head and pinned her legs with his own. She couldn't move and she was too frightened to even try. A silhouette of a face hovered over hers, she couldn't make it out, but she could sense it was angry.

"What part of a knife against your throat don't you understand?!" he hissed at her and she cringed. "If you want to survive this, you will obey me one hundred percent. You will do everything I ask without question, and if you so much as try to cause a commotion, everyone you love will be killed" He leaned even closer to her, she felt his breathe on her face, "I guarantee it."

With that said he moved away from her and jerked her from the bed so that she was standing up. He pulled a rope out and started fastening it around her waist making sure it was good and tight. Amu just stood there watching, feeling completely helpless, wanting to resist but fearing the consequences. Next he tied a similar rope around his own stomach then tied to the two ropes together. They were now linked together, anywhere he went, she would go also. She wondered why it was around her waist though instead of her wrist, surely that would've been easier for him to conceal. He pulled her towards the window and realization dawned on her. He would have to climb down, and he had to make sure she was attached to him somehow since he would need his arms to climb with. Her fear of heights reared its ugly head and she dug her heels in as they approached the window, it did no good. The man was ten times as strong as her and he barely even noticed, he stopped at the window and turned his back towards her, "Get on." He ground out.

Amu hesitated.

"Do you want your friends and family to die?" he barked angrily, though his voice was still relatively quiet.

Amu jumped at the suggestion. "No," she whispered sadly and tentatively as she got on his back. "Hold on tight." Without further warning he went through the window, hanging onto the sill with two hands as he found his footing. Then he started to slowly descend.

Amu squeezed her eyes tightly shut, knowing that looking down would not be a wise choice. She was surprised to find that only minutes later they were on the ground. Instead of setting her down and letting her run along-side him her captor simply adjusted his grip to her legs and took off running. Amu bounced up and down on his back as he continued at an amazing speed, his footsteps weren't even making a sound. Amu turned her head over her shoulder and saw the view of her house quickly disappear into the night. She bit her lip as sadness and uncertainty overwhelmed her. What on earth was she going to do? She didn't want to be kidnapped. She once again considered screaming, but she was so afraid for her friends. This man was a cold-blooded killer, she could hear it in his voice, and knew that any attempt to scream would indeed get them killed, even if they were away from the house he could go back and kill them, and he no doubt had a partner who could most likely just do the job for him. Amu's heart sunk, what else could she do? Anything she tried would only result in her hurting someone. _Don't Give up Amu-Chan! _ Ran said. Encouraging memories of her friends floated through her mind. _You can do it desu!_ Came a memory of Suu, and then next Miki_ You have to believe in yourself Amu!_ That was it, Amu was determined, she was going to get out of this, one way or another. Without stopping to think anymore she tried to jump off the man's back. She didn't make it too far. They were still tied together by rope. But even so, it was enough to break his concentration, cause him to stumble and then fall. The two tumbled to the ground. They hit the ground together and then rolled over each other a few times, at last coming to stop with Amu on top of him. Before he could recover Amu clasped her hands around his throat, choking him. He gasped and struggled to breathe. Amu wondered if she could really do this, could she really kill a man with her own hands?

She didn't have to wonder. Her kidnapper, being much stronger than her, reached up and pried her hands from his throat then rolled them over, once again pinning her and hovering right over her. Amu looked up and now with the moonlight was finally able to see his face, or rather his eyes. She gasped, it was him.

"Idiot," he muttered with a hit of sadness in his voice as her gripped her head.

Amu looked confused for a second then suddenly felt an explosion of pain on back her skull as it connected with the ground. Then everything was black.

Amu groaned and rolled over, grasping at the back of her head. It was pounding and she could feel a large bump had formed. She frowned wondering what had caused it. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around. The room was pretty dark so she couldn't make out much. But what she did didn't make sense. The room was uncommonly large, and uncommonly shaped with jagged unsmooth walls. To her left was a gaping opening leading into darkness, in front of her there was another similar opening. She blinked, she was in a cave, but how she got there she couldn't remember. Images flashed through her mind of the kidnapping and she suddenly remembered. Biting her lip she lifted her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. A sense of loneliness and fear washed over her. She had been kidnapped. She couldn't wrap her mind around it. What was she supposed to do? How was she supposed to react? Was she supposed to try and escape? Plead with her kidnapper? Play it cool and feign indifference? Wallow in self-pity and wait die? She pressed down harder on her lip, not able to understand the mix of emotions. Why would someone want to kidnap her anyway? And just where was her kidnapper? She scanned the room once more and saw no sign of him. He hadn't bothered to tie her up either. She stood and walked towards the dark tunnel on her left. She stared into the looming darkness, wondering if maybe it was the way out. She should try it before he came back for her, wherever he was. She took a hesitant step forward when she was stopped by a voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Her heart stopped, she knew that voice. She slowly turned around and saw him, he was carrying a torch so she could see everything clearly. ivory skin, midnight blue hair, and sapphire eyes.

"It's a maze of tunnels, you'd only end up getting lost and going in circles. I on the other hand know this place like the back of the hand and have all the time in the world to find you."

So that's why he hadn't bothered tying her up. She sighed there went that idea. She looked around wandering what do with herself. She looked back towards her captor, "What do you want with me?"

He smirked, "It's not about what I want."

"You're a mercenary for hire then?" she asked

"Something like that."

"Whats…whats your name?"

He paused and looked her, before turning away. He grabbed a bag and started rummaging through it. "That's something you don't need to know."

"Why not?" she asked. "You kidnapped me, don't I have the right to at least know your name?!"

He ignored her and pulled a green blanket from the bag. She watched him, realizing how tired he was, she wondered how long it had been since he had last sleep. It wasn't that he showed his exhaustion, there was nothing in his eyes or expression to suggest it, but the dark circles under his eyes proved it. She kept studying him as he pulled out a second blanket and laid them both out on the floor. She wondered how old he was, he didn't look to be much older then her, maybe eighteen or nineteen, she wasn't really sure. But yet he had a hardness that suggested he had been apart of this treacherous business for years, she didn't understand how that could be. He was young enough as was, how young must he have been when he started this? What had driven him to it? _Why do you care?_ She asked herself, _He's a kidnapper and a murderer, why do you care about his motives? It won't excuse what he's done, what he's doing. _ She knew that, but even so, she couldn't quell the curiosity inside of her.

"I suggest you get some sleep," he told her, indicating one of the blankets spread out.

She nodded and walked over, she was exhausted, both physically and mentally she was sure that whatever was coming up was going to be even worse. She pulled the blanket over her and closed her eyes. Her captor extinguished the torch and laid down a few feet away. A few minutes of silence passed and then suddenly Amu felt a pair of arms twist around her stomach. She immediately blushed and squirmed.

"You know," he whispered in her ear.

Her breathe caught in her throat

"If you really want to know my name, all you have to do, is sleep with me."

Her eyes bulged and she shoved him away, "P-p-p-p-pp-p-p-pervert!!" she screamed.

He chuckled, "Not like that you perverted kid."

"I am not a kid!" she cried in outrage.

"Oh, but you don't deny being a pervert?"

"J-just shut u-up!"

"Aw, are you stuttering for me _Amu_? How cute."

"No WAY! Hey What are you-"

Her kidnapper grabbed her once more and pulled her up against his chest. This time he held her tight, making sure she couldn't break free. "Sh! I'm the one in charge here, and I say you sleep with me tonight."

"Why?" she asked still squirming.

He shrugged, "Because it's cold, besides I love seeing you reactions, so funny."

"Pervert." She said again.

"Whatever."

With that the conversation ended and the two tried to sleep. A few minutes later and he remarked, "So warm…just like a human water bottle…."

She raised her eyebrow at that but didn't bonder responding, she was too tired. She sighed and gave up trying to escape from his arms. Tonight was going to be a long night.

**The end! For now. Well what did you think? It was definitely a lot longer of chapter than**

**the other ones. I didn't have enough to stop right at the kidnapping so I had to add**

**more, and it couldn't just be a little bit, so yeah. Anyway hope you liked it. Please**

**review!**


	4. Change of Heart

So first off, I just want to say I'm super super sorry for not getting this chapter up till now, things have just been super insanely crazy with the end of the school year and graduation and open houses and all that stuff, plus this chapter was really hard for me to write. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it, and so I do apologize ahead of time for the crappy quality, especially towards the end. Idk there was just something about this chapter that was hard, nothing played out the way I wanted it to and the characters are all messed up.

But I promise to do better in the future, I'm sure once I get over the slump of this chapter the rest will be much better, also please continue to review, reviews are such an encouragement to me, and this time I will try to respond to reviews! Thanks

Chapter 4 A change of heart

Amu awoke to someone gently shaking her. Her face formed a grimace and she groaned rolling over without bothering to open her eyes.

"Go away," she muttered crankily.

"I don't think so now get up, we have to get going."

The voice struck her memory and she remembered what was going on. She had been kidnapped and just spent the night in a cave with her kidnapper. She sat up and blushed remembering how they had slept together.

"Thinking of me again?" he asked, noticing the blush.

It quickly turned from pink to crimson. She crossed her arms in front of her, "n-no w-way. Why would I be thinking about a p-pervert like you?"

He chuckled and said no more, she watched as he began to pack the blankets and other items back into his pack, she was amazed at how much fit in there.

"Hey!" she cried suddenly, "What's your name?"she asked for the second time.

He looked at her oddly, just like before, "I thought I told you it didn't matter."

"Yes, but you also told me that if I slept with you then you'd tell me, remember?"

"Aw, so you were thinking about me then," he teased.

"Just answer the question!" she cried in frustration.

He frowned , "Fine, you can call me Ikuto."

"Ikuto?" she said the name hesitantly. To be honest she didn't know why she cared so much, it was almost as if learning his name would somehow make things better, make him seem more human, and less bloodthirsty? As if giving him a name would make her feel less crazy for the strange twinge of sympathy that she had begun to feel about him. She didn't feel it too often, afterall it was hard to sympathize with your kidnapper, in fact, if she hadn't met him in the market the other day, and been able to see into his eyes, she doubted she would hold anything but hatred for him. But the fact remained that she had seen through those eyes and straight into his soul and she would never forget it. Besides, as a kidnapper ,she had to admit, he had treated her fairly well so far.

After that time passed rather slowly for Amu as once again she found herself bouncing up and down on Ikuto's back. She tried for sometime to observe her surroundings, to maybe figure out where she was, but she quickly found it hopeless, her travels away from home had been very limited and her sense of geography, not so great. After that she attempted to make small talk with Ikuto, she was surprised to find him more open to talking then he had been the night before. For a while they talked about silly, pointless things, such as the weather and all that, but then the conversation took a more personal turn.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Amu asked suddenly.

Ikuto's gait faltered ever so slightly, then resumed its rhythmic balance. He remained silent for a few minutes and Amu began to wonder if maybe he hadn't heard her. She opened her mouth to ask again, then abruptly shut it as he spoke.

"A…sister, I have one sister." he answered quietly.

Amu brightened, her curiosity rising. "Really? Younger or Older? What does she look like? Like you?"

"She…." Ikuto paused, "She's my younger sister. The only family I have left."

Amu noticed the dark undertones in voice and knew that if she could look into his eyes she would see the flecks of sadness growing, "I see, I am sorry to have brought it up…."

After that the conversation came to a grinding halt and Amu had nothing more to do then think with regret and guilt about what must of happened to Ikuto's parents, perhaps that had something to do with why he was the person he was today. Amu shook the thoughts from her head once more, she was beginning to find it more and more difficult to view him as her kidnapper, as a bloodthirsty killer.

Several hours into their journey they stopped to rest, Ikuto set her down gently and started rummaging through his pack, looking for rations. Amu took the time to look around, they were in a spacious little clearing in the woods, with trees all around, but the sun was shining and birds were chirping, and in the distance she could hear running water. As she looked around her feet started moving allowing more for her eyes to explore. Unfortunately however her eyes were on everything except the ground, and as a result she failed to see the large rock directly in her path. She continued on in her oblviousness, and in matter of moments her foot caught on the rock and she tripped. She and was falling through the air; arms flailing and panic racing through her veins, she was thoroughly convinced she was going to hit the ground hard, and end up with an awful bruise. She paused with perplexity when she found the ground to be rather soft, and not as far down as she thought. She looked up and say the azure blue eyes and midnight blue hair and realized that Ikuto had broken her fall. And just like at the market his arm lingered around her waist as he pulled her upright. Amu blushed with embarrassment and muttered a thank you.

"Just try to be a bit more careful from now on," he told her.

She nodded and promised she would.

After that the rest of their break passed in relative normalcy, they were back on the road within a half hour.

Later that day as evening approached Amu spotted a small wooden house a little distance away and saw that Ikuto was headed in that direction. She guessed they would be staying there for the night. She brightened eager to be done traveling for the day. You'd be surprised how sore bouncing up and down on someones back all day could leave you, it was just as bad as riding a horse all day. They approached the building carefully, and Amu noticed a soft change in Ikuto's demeanor, it had turned somewhat more serious and alert though she could tell why. Ikuto opened the door and strode quietly into the house. Amu looked around, the house was almost completely barren, no rugs or furniture could be seen, but then again that would make sense, this house must only have been used as a resting place for the kidnappers. Ikuto carried her into a room and set her down in the corner, and did the one thing he had yet to do. He actually tied her up for once, First he tied her hands together and then her feet, Amu watched in morose silence and she remembered the gravity of her situation, of course he would eventually do this, she couldn't expect him to trust her completely. She'd be a fool not to run away if given the chance, he was merely taking precautions. As he tied the not on around her ankle tied, Amu squeaked when he pulled it too tight. He looked up at her, any traces of kindness gone from his eyes, "Quiet," he told her sternly as he started to gag her. Amu's eyes widened, this was getting a little to extreme for her liking. What was going on? Why was Ikuto being so harsh?

_Because you idiot, he's a kidnapper! A cold mean-hearted kidnapper who is trying to do his job. He's not your friend Amu, he's not!_

_ I know that!_ the other half of her mind reasoned _I know he's a kidnapper, but even so, he's can't be that bad can he?_ Her mind flashed back to the night of her kidnapping, the coldness of his eyes and voice as he threatened to kill her family. Then images of today, of their conversation, of him saving her when she tripped. It didn't make any sense.

But Amu didn't have time to figure it out, for suddenly the front door of the house swung open once more, Ikuto turned from her and hurriedly greeted the new arrival. Amu listened intently to their conversation.

"Hello, Katzu," Ikuto dipped his head.

The mans eyes flickered towards Ikuto briefly, and he to bowed his head, his attention shifted towards the room Amu was being kept in, "The girl?" he asked

Ikuto nodded, "Safe and sound, smooth so far."

"I wonder…" the mans voice was filled with lustful curiosity, "Is she as beautiful as they say?"

Ikuto's jaw twitched, "I wouldn't know, I don't think about such things," he stared at his partner, and forced the tone of his voice to go lower "Business before pleasure, remember?"

The man groaned and tore his gave from the door and back to Ikuto, "Fine, fine," he muttered. "Come on, lets get this over with then."

The two left the entry way and moved to the room on the left, occupied by a small table and chairs, possibly the only furniture in the entire building. They seated themselves and Katzu pulled out a piece of paper, he unfurled it to reveal a map.

He took the time to mark several different locations, "These are the safe spots along the way, The journey will most likely take two weeks."

Ikuto nodded memorizing the locations.

"This," Katzu paused to make another bolder mark, "This is the rendevouz point. If for some reason you're late the men will be there for a week tops, so don't be any later than that. Got it."

Ikuto bobbed his head up and down.

"Good," Katzu rolled up the map and placed it back in his pocket. He stood and stretched with a yawn.

Ikuto watched him, "Spending the night?"

Katzu nodded, "Off again at dawn." His gaze drifted off towards Amu's room once more. "Just a peek wouldn't hurt…" he muttered

Ikuto followed his gaze. "Kazuomi will kill you if you touch her."

"Who says he'll find out?" he grinned, "I certainly won't tell him."

Katzu started moving towards the door.

"Stop!" Ikuto shouted.

Katzu paused then grinned again, "Don't worry I'll save some for you too."

Ikuto cursed but knew there was no changing his partners mind. If he tried anymore he would only get suspicious _Suspicious of what? _ Ikuto asked himself, _Why did I care so much anyway?_. Ikuto frowned walked away like he always did.

Katzu opened the door and saw Amu sitting there. He whistled and smirked, "My my, you certainly are beautiful aren't you?"

Amu whimpered slightly through the gag and tried to back away. It was useless.

The man stalked towards her with his evil intentions. He started tugging at her dress.

Ikuto paced back and forth with indecision. He knew what was going to happen to Amu, it had happened to thousands of girls before, sure the first few times he had felt guilty about not doing anything, but after awhile the guilt had died away, just like it had with the killing. Now suddenly he was feeling that pang of guilt once again and so much worse then he could remember. Images of Amus face flashed through his head, images of her smiling, giggling in all her innocence. Suddenly he slammed his fist against the table and cursed.

While Katzu was tugging at her dress someone else tugged at him. Before he knew it his head pounded against the wall. He looked up to see Ikuto, his eyes blazing with rage and his hand on his throat.

"ENOUGH!" he shouted, "Get out of here, now!"

Ikuto pulled the man away from the wall and shoved him towards the door. After he was through Ikuto shut it firmly and locked it behind him. He turned back to see tears in Amu's eyes and he immediately looked away. He leaned against the wall and slid down, squatting there. He doubted Katzu would be foolish enough to try again, but even so, he'd rather be safe then sorry. He looked towards Amu again, she was shaking, and Ikuto hated himself for it. He looked away and forced the emotions out his head. He shut his eyes and slept.

~So how was the last part? Crappy? I know, I'm sorry

Please review

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